Madison Brewing Company: Bennington, VT
After a two and a half day hike, the four of us hiking the AT/Long Trail into Vermont needed some good food and a beer. This place originally caught my eye when we were dropping off the cars and the trail head and finish spots. We went in and got seated in the back corner (I wonder if this was due to us being in the woods for two-plus days). We got some waters and beers. I ended up with the JU-C Double IPA which was really a nice balance between citrus flavors to start and hoppy smell and finish. Mike first got a house made root beer that was the best house made root beer any of us had ever had. He then went for the good stuff and got the Old 76 Strong Ale and Jessy ordered an American Pale Ale. We all enjoyed our beers and tried to decide what to eat from their pub style menu.As some of you know, I am not the one who usually writes the restaurant reviews. I eat pretty plain foods and the same thing at each place but this place was so good that I felt that I needed to let you all know.
The guys all ordered burgers while I went for the grilled cheese (surprise) off of the kids menu... The food came out quickly and our waitress was really personable. She could tell right away that we had been hiking and asked about the trip. Bennington is a highlighted town in both the Appalachian and Long Trail Guides so I'm guessing they are used to hikers coming through.
We got our food and it all looked great. The grilled cheese was on sliced ciabatta bread and the burgers were big. Now, it could be the fact that everything I ate or drank in the days leading up to this meal came from a 40 liter backpack and/or a stream running down a mountain but this was an amazing meal. By the lack of conversation and the amount of satisfied groans coming from the group, I could tell that everyone loved their burgers and I know I thoroughly enjoyed my grilled cheese with fries. The fries were hand cut and not greasy, the grilled cheese was nice and melty, and the beer was refreshing and tasted great. If you're hiking in southern Vermont, traveling through Bennington, or doing a Vermont brewery challenge, I would highly recommend The Maddison Brewing Company for great pub food and quality beer.
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